Hingham man arrested on sixth drunk driving charge

Monday

Apr 14, 2014 at 8:23 AMApr 15, 2014 at 1:09 AM

Police tracked down Kim David Burke, 61, after a caller said they'd seen him driving in his distinctive Ford Ranchero. Burke got a lifetime driving ban in 2012, after his fifth conviction for drunken driving.

Lane Lambert The Patriot Ledger @llambert_ledger

A caller’s tip led to the Sunday arrest of a Hingham man for his sixth alleged drunken driving offense, two years after his license was revoked for life.

Sgt. Steven Dearth said Monday that Kim David Burke, 61, of Pilgrim Road, was charged Sunday afternoon, after police tracked Burke to an athletic field near a church on Ward Street. Burke was walking his dog at the time.

Dearth said he’s charged with drunken driving after the fifth or subsequent offense, driving after his license had been revoked for drunk driving, and driving to endanger.

Burke’s previous drunken driving convictions date back to 1987, when he was charged in Hull. Since then he’s been charged in Georgia, Cambridge, Whitman, Weymouth and Hingham. The 2011 Hingham charge led to the lifetime revocation of his driver license. He was also charged with leaving the scene of a crash in the 2011 arrest.

Burke was held without bail overnight in the Plymouth County jail and will be arraigned Monday in Hingham District Court. He was already on probation for drunk driving.

Dearth said The arrest began just before 12:30 p.m. Sunday, when a caller reported seeing a distinctive car – a green 1977 Ford Ranchero – that belonged to a person who had five previous offenses. Dearth said the caller identified the license plate number and Burke as the driver.

Officers began a traffic search for the car when they found that it wasn’t parked in the driveway at Burke’s. A sergeant on patrol on Ward Street saw the car as it passed going in the opposite direction. Dearth said the Ranchero apparently turned off Ward Street to evade the sergeant.

When police tracked the car to the church parking lot, a witness there said the car came to a screeching stop as the driver parked there. Police followed Burke to the athletic field, collected an empty beer can on the way, and asked Burke to take a field sobriety test.

Dearth said “the driver’s speech was slurred, his eyes were glassy and bloodshot, he was unsteady on his feet, and he had the strong odor of an alcoholic beverage on his breath.”. Burke refused the sobriety test, and was arrested and taken to the police station.

Dearth said the Ranchero can’t be seized in a civil forfeiture, which is allowed under Melanie’s Law, because the car isn’t registered to Burke.